PESHAWAR: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has said that two security personnel have been martyred while at least 36 people have been killed from among the Afghan Taliban during the ongoing border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He also said that three security personnel had been injured during the clashes and there were also reports of several persons getting injured on the Afghan side. Earlier today, the information had said that the Afghan Taliban had opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which was being given an “immediate and effective response”. “Afghan Taliban regime unprovoked action along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border given an immediate, and effective response. “Afghan Taliban miscalculated and opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations across Pakistan Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is being met with immediate, and effective response by Pakistan’s security forces,” the information ministry said in a post on X. The statement added that the “Taliban regime forces are being delivered punishment in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors”. It said that early reports had confirmed heavy casualties on the Afghan side with multiple posts and equipment destroyed. “Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity and the safety and security of its citizens,” the statement said. Mosharraf Zaidi, the prime minister’s spokesperson for foreign media, shared an update of the situation at around 11:40pm, saying that “not only have no Pakistani posts been captured or damaged, but the Pakistani side has inflicted heavy losses across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in response to unprovoked Taliban aggression”. “As of right now, there have been no Pakistani soldiers captured, nor any Pakistani soldiers martyred. Any claims of damage to Pakistan thus far are little more than the fantasy of India’s proxies in Afghanistan. “Rest assured, all aggression targeting Pakistan will get the same response: immediate and effective,” he added. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar expressed the same resolve in a post on X, saying that the “Afghan Taliban’s unprovoked actions along the Pak-Afghan border will continue to be responded to in an effective manner”. He said the Afghan Taliban and social media accounts had been spreading “false and baseless” propaganda, but did not elaborate further on this. Tarar added that Pakistan’s forces were “crushing the attackers’ aims”. According to confirmed reports received thus far, 36 persons from among the Afghan Taliban have been killed and several are injured, he added. Meanwhile, two security personnel were martyred and three were injured while defending the country, he said. According to security sources, counter attacks by Pakistan’s forces destroyed “Taliban’s hideouts and the khawarij fled”. The sources said the forces targeted and destroyed the Afghan Taliban’s check post across the border from the Chitral sector and also responded with full force in Nawagai sector Bajaur, Tirah Khyber, Mohmand district and Arandu sector in Chitral. Security forces destroyed two Afghan posts across the border from Bajaur, the sources said. Parliamentary Affair Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also said in a post on social media platform X that the Afghan Taliban had carried out “provocative actions” along the border in KP, and the security forces gave a decisive response. He added that the “enemy’s advances in Chitral, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors were thwarted and heavy losses were inflicted on them”. The minister said, citing initial reports, that multiple checkposts and military equipment of the Afghan side had been destroyed. “Pakistan will not compromise on its territorial integrity, sovereignty and protection of its people. Any kind of aggression will be responded to effectively, immediately and with full force,” he asserted. Sources in Landi Kotal said that the Afghan side fired artillery shells at the border posts on Maro Sar and Shah Kot Sar in the Bazaar-Zakhakhel area. They said that at least two mortar shells fell in open compounds near a residential area but no damage to property or casualties were reported. The cross firing started around 6pm and continued until late night, with local residents taking refuge in safe places. Afghan forces had launched sudden attacks at multiple points in Wragha Sar, Maro Sar and Shahkot Sar areas while unsuccessfully targeting Pakistani border posts on Tuesday as well. But, security forces had effectively responded to the cross-border attack. Afghan authorities had initially claimed today they had launched a cross-border offensive, following which Pakistan said its forces launched a counter-attack. During today’s clashes, it was also reported that border security forces at the Torkham border were placed on high alert. The border has been closed since October 12 last year following heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, there were also reports of Afghan families that were to be repatriated were sent back to a holding centre in Landi Kotal from the zero point at the border as the security situation deteriorated. Heavy firing was also reported in the border areas of Mohmand’s Baizai tehsil, including Tor Khel, Gursal Gate, Anargai, and the Shonkarai border region. Clashes follow strikes The latest clashes along the border come less than a week after Pakistan targeted terrorist camps and hideouts overnight in the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan. While an official initially said that “more than 80” terrorists had been killed in the air strikes, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry later said during an address in the Senate that there were reports of over 100 terrorists being killed. The information ministry said at the time that the strikes were carried out in res­ponse to a number of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan — such as the suicide bombing at an Islam­abad Imambargah and a number of attacks in Bannu and Bajaur during the holy month of Ramazan. “Pakistan has conclusive evidence that these acts of terrorism were perpetrated by khawarij at the behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers,” the ministry said, adding that in response, Pakistan carried out “intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban [ Fitna-al-Khaw­arij ] and its affiliates, and [Islamic State-Khorasan] at the border region of Pakistan Afghan border with precision and accuracy”. Fitna-al-Khawarij is the term the state uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. The strikes had come days after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned Pakistan’s western neighbour that Pakistan would not hesitate to launch air operations inside Afghanistan to combat militancy, until Kabul provides security assurances. Kabul urged to address cross-border terrorism There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded. Last year in October, deadly border clashes at the Pak-Afghan border had resulted in the martyrdom of 23 Pakistani soldiers and the killing of over 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists, according to the ISPR. The skirmishes began “on the night of Oct 11/12, 2025, [after] Afghan Taliban and India-sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan, along the Pak-Afghan border”. Following the flare-up in October, the two countries had engaged in protracted diplomacy, supported by friendly regional actors such as Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia. Although several rounds of talks were held, they did not lead to any rapprochement between the two sides. Since then, leading figures — such as President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, among others — have repeatedly called on Kabul to address the issue for the sake of peace. “This time, it must be decided whether Afghanistan wants to live peacefully or not,” PM Shehbaz had said at a recent workshop in Islamabad. Similarly, while thanking world leaders for their support in the aftermath of the imambargah bombing earlier this month, President Asif Ali Zardari also warned that the Taliban regime’s policies had created conditions “similar to or worse than pre-9/11”. In a fresh statement on Sunday, President Zardari said that Pakistan’s recent actions were rooted in its inherent right to defend its people against terrorism emanating from across its borders, and followed repeated warnings that went unheeded. In addition, a recent report by the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team found that the TTP enjoys preferential treatment among terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, heightening concerns among member states that the outfit could pose an extra-regional threat. This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters. Additional input from Tahir Khan